Computational Design of Linkage-Based Characters

EXPLAINED: A system for designing linkage based characters using a catalog of linkage types.

CHOSEN:  I chose this project because it shows a new approach to designing complex linkages. This gives users without large amounts of domain knowledge solutions to a challenging and complex problem. The UI itself could be used to help design my whiteboard drawing robot.

CRITIQUED: This project does a fantastic job of providing an interface and process for the design of complex linkages based on an input motion. This works well as animators design motion without regard for physical fabrication and this tool would allow those same users to design their own linkages based on the aesthetic choices of an animator.

RELATED: This work falls within a broader field of animation, computer graphics, and physical prototyping. A few notable examples are:

• BACHER ¨ , M., BICKEL, B., JAMES, D. L., AND PFISTER, H.
  2012. Fabricating articulated characters from skinned meshes.
  In Proc. of ACM SIGGRAPH ’12.
• http://robot-kingdom.com/dog-quadruped-robot/

LINK: https://www.disneyresearch.com/publication/computational-design-of-linkage-based-characters/